7 Ways to Decorate a Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pies aren’t necessarily the prettiest pies in the world. There’s no lattice top, no fluffs of meringue, and certainly no frosting. Pumpkin pies can look a little lackluster when placed next to a streusel-topped apple pie on the dessert table. They can be pretty perfect with our Tips for Making Pumpkin Pie though.
No longer. The pie game is changing! This year, your pumpkin pie, whether a classic homemade version or even a store-bought one, is going to win that prettiest pie contest. I’ve rounded up the top seven gorgeous ways to decorate your pumpkin pie. I guarantee they’re going to knock the socks off your guests; they might just forget all about that apple pie your mother-in-law brought…
Ways To Decorate Pumpkin Pie
1. Add Some Sparkle & Fun
Hungry Happenings has a great tutorial on how to create a colorful and sparkly turkey out of pie dough to add to the top of your pie.
2. Gorgeous Whipped Cream Topping
For the truly adventurous and artistic out there, there’s the whipped cream rose topping from i am baker. I’m still swooning over how beautiful this is. You can even simply pipe those roses on top of a regular pumpkin pie, skipping the sides.
3. Decorative Crust
The leaves and pumpkins decorating the crust on this pumpkin pie from Wild Wild Whisk made my jaw drop the first time I saw it. It has the right amount of rustic elegance for the holiday table.
4. Autumn Leaf
Lovely Little Kitchen has a ridiculously simple decoration that will take you seconds and will also use up any extra pie dough. Simply cut out a large leaf from the leftover pie dough and place it in the center of the pie!
5. Leaves and Vines
If you’re making a slab pumpkin pie, or are merely looking for a less pie crust heavy decoration for your pie, try decorating with dainty leaves and vines made from pie dough.
6. Nuts about nuts!
It can be as simple as a topping of chopped walnuts to take a plain ol’ pumpkin pie to the next level, like this one from Midwest Living. Plus the extra crunch is a great surprise, especially when served with extra whipped cream.
7. The Best of Both Worlds – Pie Crust and Whipped Cream
I’ve saved the best for last… Why not go with both whipped cream AND pie crust decorations? Primal Palate’s pie boasts a two-topping knockout of a pie! I know there are many of you looking to one up the other pies on the dessert table and this is the way to go.
This post originally appeared in November 2015 and was revised and republished in October 2021.
Christine is the founder of TheCookful and also of her blog COOKtheSTORY. Her passion is explaining the WHY behind cooking – Why should you cook things a certain way; Will they turn out if you do it differently; What are the pros and cons of the method? Learn more about Christine, her cookbooks, and her podcast.